Hill defends troops' 'torture' training

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Simulated torture exercises for Australia's elite soldiers
should be seen as a positive method to prepare troops for war,
Defence Minister Robert Hill says.

Civil libertarians have voiced concerns about the training
methods, which include soldiers being blindfolded, stripped naked
and threatened with dogs.

The training can also involve threats of physical and sexual
abuse during simulated interrogation sessions at the Defence
Intelligence Training Centre in Queensland.

Speaking in Perth today, Senator Hill said he was "comforted" by
the fact Australia's soldiers were being trained in such a way.

He said the methods were not used just on Special Air Service
(SAS) recruits.

"I don't think you should limit (the training) to special forces
... all our forces who go overseas have got to be best equipped to
meet all circumstances," Senator Hill said.

"It is a matter of protecting our own personnel.

"The fact that the training is very realistic is just a sensible
thing to do."

Senator Hill said the training would allow the soldiers to
better protect themselves.

"You would have good reason to criticise me if we weren't
properly training our forces to meet all contingent threats - the
fact that the training is realistic is something you should see as
a positive, not as a negative."

In reply to a parliamentary question, Senator Hill earlier
confirmed trainees were blindfolded and could be made to strip
naked for up to three hours, with muzzled and short-leashed working
military dogs also being used during advanced resistance to
interrogation (RTI) training.

The regime has been approved at the highest level of the defence
department and is about to be upgraded in response to the threat of
enemies who do not abide by the Geneva Conventions.

Cameron Murphy, president of the NSW Council for Civil
Liberties, has called for the training to end.

"It's absolutely unacceptable that we are subjecting our own
troops to this sort of degrading and humiliating torture," he has
said.